As an MMA fighter, Frankie Edgar is used to dealing with misconceptions about who he is and what he does. But one about his upcoming fight with ex-champ B.J. Penn particularly irks him.

An Internet headline advertising his desire to retire Penn has made its way into the promotional cycle for their third fight, and Edgar says it’s not true.

“I never said I wanted to retire B.J.,” he said. “That’s not my style. My goal is just to make sure I win this fight, and whatever B.J. decides to do with his career after is nothing based on what I say or do.”

Edgar looks to build on an already impressive career with another win over “The Prodigy,” who faces more questions if he can’t come out ahead in the rubber match.

The result of the third fight undoubtedly will play a big part in what happens next for Penn (16-9-2 MMA, 12-8-2 UFC), who dropped a pair of bouts to fellow ex-champ Edgar (16-4-1 MMA, 10-4-1 UFC) in 2010 and briefly retired from the sport before signing on as an opposing coach on “The Ultimate Fighter 19.”

Penn is making his first octagon appearance at featherweight, where Edgar migrated in 2012 after a pair of losses to now-ex champ Benson Henderson. Penn won’t decide what happens next in his career, but another loss would drop him to 1-5-1 in his past six outings.

Despite that, Penn’s legacy as a UFC champion and trailblazer will remain intact.

While Edgar’s respect for “The Prodigy” remains strong even after spending six weeks with him on a TV set, he can admit he has ill intentions for the revered fighter when they step in the cage once again.

“I always want to show improvement, and that’s my goal,” he said. “B.J.’s never been finished; he’s been stopped once between rounds. But he’s fought the best, so for me to do that, that would be a feather in my cap.”

The two headline The Ultimate Fighter 19 Finale on Sunday at Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay Events Center. The event’s main card airs live on FOX Sports 1 after prelims on UFC Fight Pass.

For Edgar, the fight is a welcome turn after a trying wait on the reality show. Some “TUF” coaches such as Michael Bisping and Quinton Jackson have returned to the show, while others, such as current bantamweight champ Ronda Rousey, swore off a second appearance.

It wasn’t the experience of constantly being monitored by cameras that was a problem for Edgar, but the cramp it put in his fight schedule. It’s been one year since he’s competed, with a decision over Charles Oliveira being his most recent outing.

“I didn’t have a miserable time,” he said. “I thought the crew was great; the guys I had were great. It was all in all a good experience, but I don’t want to sit out a year again. Just based on the fact that you’re got to sit out for a long time before you can fight would make my mind up that I don’t want to do it again.”

At 32, Edgar certainly isn’t past his prime. But if he’s to mount another campaign for Jose Aldo’s featherweight title, he needs more high profile wins to get in the picture.

Penn admitted he had his own misconceptions of Edgar prior to their first fight, but he is well aware of Edgar’s talent at this point.

“When I first had to fight Frankie, I was like, ‘Really? Frankie? Who is this? Let me check it out,” he said. “And then Frankie comes out proving himself. Frankie is now one of the best of all time in the UFC.”